It’s really crazy to watch Francis Ford Coppola destroy any and all goodwill. Coppola is currently hyping his long-gestating passion project, Megalopolis. He’s been talking about this fakakta film for years, trying to get financing for it and trying to get actors to sign on to it. He finally made it and the film premiered at Cannes to lukewarm reviews and a flurry of bad press. There were credible and widespread reports that Coppola mistreated women during the production. The mistreatment was… Coppola being way too “friendly” and “handsy,” trying to kiss female extras and being generally sleazy. In a new Rolling Stone interview, Coppola didn’t do much to dispute the stories:

In a May report by The Guardian, multiple anonymous crew members said that Coppola incorporated “old school” tactics to “try to get [female extras] in the mood” for a nightclub scene. That included allegedly hugging and kissing actresses during takes.

“You’re talking about the Guardian piece, which is totally untrue. If you read that piece, you’ll realize that whoever the sources were — and I honestly don’t know who the sources were — it’s the same people who provided quotes for that Hollywood Reporter piece that said all these people were fired or resigned, and that there was a mass exodus, all of that,” Coppola said, citing the below-the-line team leaving in 2022. “And the truth of the matter is, they were looking for some sort of dirt. The young women I kissed on the cheek, in regards to the New Year’s scene, they were young women I knew.”

Coppola continued, “It’s all so ridiculous. Look at the timing of that article. It’s right before we’re about to premiere the film at Cannes. They’re just trying to damage the picture.”

Previous sources told Variety that writer/director Coppola was unprofessional during the scene in question and ruined takes to touch the actresses in frame. One of the sources claimed that Coppola announced on a microphone, “Sorry, if I come up to you and kiss you. Just know it’s solely for my pleasure.”

[From IndieWire]

Again, I believe the industry reporting about Coppola’s lecherous behavior on set. “I knew those women” is not a defense when women are coming out and saying that he made them uncomfortable. “They’re trying to ruin the film” is also not a valid defense when his behavior is the problem. Speaking of Coppola’s problematic behavior, it turns out that he’s become one of those crusaders against all things “woke.”

Francis Ford Coppola told Rolling Stone that his intention with “Megalopolis” was to make a movie that could not be deemed “some woke Hollywood production.” The cast includes controversial actors such as Jon Voight, who has turned heads in Hollywood for his conservative views and outspoken support for Donald Trump, and Shia LaBeouf, who was accused of sexual assault in 2021.

“What I didn’t want to happen is that we’re deemed some woke Hollywood production that’s simply lecturing viewers,” Coppola said. “The cast features people who were canceled at one point or another. There were people who are archconservatives and others who are extremely politically progressive. But we were all working on one film together. That was interesting, I thought.”

As far as working with LaBeouf, who has barely starred in any movies since accusations surfaced against him, Coppola praised the actor while admitting things were tense with him.

“Shia [LaBeouf] really took to it,” Coppola said. “I had no experience working with him prior to this, but he deliberately sets up a tension between himself and the director to an extreme degree. He reminds me of Dennis Hopper, who would do something similar, and then you’d say, ‘Just go do anything,’ and then they go off and do something brilliant.

[From Variety]

This will be used as an example, for years to come, of how a generational talent ruined all of his industry goodwill by making a sh-tty movie and going all-in on the losing side of several culture wars all at once. “Me Too was stupid, I should be able to do what I want with women” and “I’m going to hire a credibly accused domestic abuser, that will show everyone!” And then when everything he touches flops hard, he’ll blame “woke culture.” What a disappointment.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.